The top-ranked districts with a commuter rail station
These are the 15 highest-ranked Massachusetts districts with a commuter rail station in one of their towns and a scheduled morning trip into Boston of 60 minutes or less. "To Boston" is the typical scheduled time from the district's fastest station to South Station or North Station; "Morning trains" counts the weekday trains from that station that arrive between 6:30 and 9:30 a.m.
| Rank | District | Fastest station | To Boston | Morning trains | Avg home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 A+ | Weston | Kendal Green Fitchburg Line · 2 stations | 36 min North Station | 3 | $2.42M |
| #3 A+ | Belmont | Belmont Fitchburg Line · 2 stations | 21 min North Station | 3 | $1.70M |
| #4 A+ | Wellesley | Wellesley Farms Worcester Line · 3 stations | 35 min South Station | 4 | $2.02M |
| #6 A+ | Winchester | Wedgemere Lowell Line · 2 stations | 18 min North Station | 6 | $1.65M |
| #8 A+ | Westwood | Route 128 Providence Line · 2 stations | 27 min South Station | 6 | $1.25M |
| #11 A | Concord-Carlisle Carlisle, Concord | Concord Fitchburg Line · 2 stations | 49 min North Station | 3 | $1.46M |
| #13 A | Sharon | Sharon Providence Line | 36 min South Station | 5 | $837K |
| #14 A | Hingham | West Hingham Greenbush Line · 2 stations | 38 min South Station | 3 | $1.37M |
| #15 A | Cohasset | Cohasset Greenbush Line | 46 min South Station | 3 | $1.48M |
| #17 A | Needham | Hersey Needham Line · 4 stations | 36 min South Station | 3 | $1.54M |
| #23 A | Walpole | Walpole Franklin Line | 49 min South Station | 4 | $831K |
| #24 A | Melrose | Wyoming Hill Haverhill Line · 3 stations | 18 min North Station | 4 | $853K |
| #28 A- | Andover | Ballardvale Haverhill Line · 2 stations | 49 min North Station | 3 | $1.07M |
| #30 A- | Lincoln-Sudbury Lincoln, Sudbury | Lincoln Fitchburg Line | 43 min North Station | 3 | $1.42M |
| #32 A- | Reading | Reading Haverhill Line | 36 min North Station | 4 | $940K |
Not on the list: Hopkinton (#2), Lexington (#5), Wayland (#7), Medfield (#9) and Bedford (#10) are in the top 10 but have no commuter rail station, so commuters there drive or take a bus to a nearby station.
Under 30 minutes by train
The best-ranked districts where the fastest scheduled ride into Boston takes half an hour or less. Inside Route 128, these trains are often faster than driving at rush hour.
| Rank | District | Fastest station | To Boston | Morning trains | Avg home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #3 A+ | Belmont | Belmont Fitchburg Line · 2 stations | 21 min North Station | 3 | $1.70M |
| #6 A+ | Winchester | Wedgemere Lowell Line · 2 stations | 18 min North Station | 6 | $1.65M |
| #8 A+ | Westwood | Route 128 Providence Line · 2 stations | 27 min South Station | 6 | $1.25M |
| #24 A | Melrose | Wyoming Hill Haverhill Line · 3 stations | 18 min North Station | 4 | $853K |
| #44 A- | Newton | Newtonville Worcester Line · 3 stations | 24 min South Station | 4 | $1.76M |
| #63 B+ | Braintree | Braintree Kingston Line | 25 min South Station | 4 | $726K |
| #69 B+ | Cambridge | Porter Fitchburg Line | 15 min North Station | 4 | $2.05M |
| #74 B+ | Wakefield | Greenwood Haverhill Line · 2 stations | 26 min North Station | 4 | $820K |
| #88 B | Swampscott | Swampscott Newburyport Line | 28 min North Station | 5 | $957K |
| #112 B | Dedham | Endicott Franklin Line · 2 stations | 29 min South Station | 6 | $811K |
Best values for train commuters
Districts in the top third of our rankings (#109 or better), with a train into Boston in 50 minutes or less and an average single-family home value under $900K. For reference, the median Massachusetts town averages $588K.
| Rank | District | Fastest station | To Boston | Morning trains | Avg home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #13 A | Sharon | Sharon Providence Line | 36 min South Station | 5 | $837K |
| #23 A | Walpole | Walpole Franklin Line | 49 min South Station | 4 | $831K |
| #24 A | Melrose | Wyoming Hill Haverhill Line · 3 stations | 18 min North Station | 4 | $853K |
| #51 B+ | Canton | Canton Junction Providence Line · 2 stations | 32 min South Station | 6 | $869K |
| #52 B+ | Mansfield | Mansfield Providence Line | 45 min South Station | 5 | $685K |
| #63 B+ | Braintree | Braintree Kingston Line | 25 min South Station | 4 | $726K |
| #74 B+ | Wakefield | Greenwood Haverhill Line · 2 stations | 26 min North Station | 4 | $820K |
| #77 B+ | Wilmington | Wilmington Lowell Line · 2 stations | 31 min North Station | 6 | $759K |
| #87 B | Beverly | Beverly Newburyport Line · 4 stations | 39 min North Station | 5 | $817K |
Districts on the T
These districts have subway or trolley stops in town: no schedule to plan around, and trains every few minutes at rush hour.
| Rank | District | T lines | Commuter rail |
|---|---|---|---|
| #19 A | Brookline | Green Line C, Green Line D | — |
| #36 A- | Milton | Mattapan Line | — |
| #44 A- | Newton | Green Line D | 24 min from Newtonville |
| #63 B+ | Braintree | Red Line | 25 min from Braintree |
| #69 B+ | Cambridge | Green Line D, Green Line E, Red Line | 15 min from Porter |
| #143 B- | Somerville | Green Line D, Green Line E, Orange Line, Red Line | — |
| #149 B- | Quincy | Red Line | 18 min from Quincy Center |
| #151 B- | Medford | Green Line E, Orange Line | 14 min from West Medford |
| #175 B- | Malden | Orange Line | 14 min from Malden Center |
| #217 C+ | Revere | Blue Line | — |
| #246 C | Boston | Blue Line, Green Line B, Green Line C, Green Line D, Green Line E, Mattapan Line, Orange Line, Red Line | 3 min from Back Bay |
If you drive: the top districts closest to Boston
The highest-ranked districts at each distance from downtown Boston. Distance is a straight line from the State House to the district's town (or the average of its towns), not a driving route, so real drive times depend on the highway and the traffic.
Comparing two commuter towns?
Our side-by-side pages put two neighboring districts next to each other: test scores, spending, class sizes, home values and taxes. A few popular pairs for Boston commuters: Belmont vs Winchester · Melrose vs Winchester · Needham vs Wellesley · Sharon vs Walpole · Newton vs Brookline · all comparisons